Malcolm in the Middle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Scineram (talk | contribs) at 18:41, 21 December 2009. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Created byLinwood Boomer
Directed byTodd Holland
(various episodes)
and various other directors
StarringJane Kaczmarek
Bryan Cranston
Christopher Masterson
Justin Berfield
Erik Per Sullivan
and Frankie Muniz
Opening theme"Boss of Me" by
They Might Be Giants
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes151 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setupSingle camera
Running timeapprox. 22 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJanuary 9, 2000 –
May 14, 2006

Malcolm in the Middle is an American comedy television series created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series received critical acclaim and won a Peabody Award, nine Emmy Awards, one Grammy and was nominated for seven Golden Globes.[1]

The series follows a family of six (later seven), and stars Frankie Muniz in the lead role of Malcolm, a more-or-less normal boy who tests at genius level; he enjoys being smart but despises having to take classes for gifted children, who are mocked by the other students as "Krelboynes." Jane Kaczmarek is Malcolm's overbearing, authoritarian mother Lois and Bryan Cranston plays his disengaged but loving father Hal. Christopher Masterson plays eldest brother Francis: a former rebel who, in earlier episodes, was in military school, but eventually marries and settles into a steady job. Justin Berfield is Malcolm's dimwitted older brother Reese, a schoolyard bully who tortures Malcolm at home even while he defends him at school. Younger brother Dewey is portrayed by Erik Per Sullivan. For the first couple of seasons, the show's focus was on Malcolm. As the series progressed, however, it began to explore the other members of the family, eventually the six cast members becoming an ensemble cast.

The series is popular worldwide and is syndicated in 57 countries. In the United States, it is currently syndicated in the daytime on FX and at nightime on Nick at Nite. In Britain, it airs in high definition on Sky1 and BBC Two. It has also recently been syndicated on Ten Network in Australia.

Premise

The show is about a boy named Malcolm and his dysfunctional family. The show stars Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third of four boys, his brothers and their parents, Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The oldest, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was sent away to military school, leaving at home his three younger brothers, Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), Malcolm being the middle child still at home (hence the show's title). In season four, the character Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez in the later seasons) was added to the show as the fifth son. The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm dealing with the rigors of being an adolescent and enduring the eccentricities of his life. Later seasons gradually explored the other members of the family and their friends in more depth.

The series was different from many others in that Malcolm broke the fourth wall by talking directly to the viewer, all scenes were shot using a single camera and the show employed neither a laugh track nor a live studio audience. Emulating the style of hour-long dramas, this half-hour show was shot on film instead of video. Another unique aspect of the show is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story. Exceptions were episodes which were the conclusions of "two-parters"; each part two episode opened with a recap of its part one episode.

Surname

The surname of the family has been revealed only twice in the show. First, in the pilot episode, where Francis wears the name tag "Wilkerson" on his school uniform (it can be seen best in the scene where he is talking with his family on the phone). Also, although unaired, the name appears in a joke from the original pilot script. In that script, Malcolm was walking to school when a neighborhood kid came running up shouting, "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. I was talking to my parents last night - I was listening to them talk, and what's your last name?" "Wilkerson, why?" Malcolm replied. "Oh. Who are the Pariahs?" said the other kid. The joke was eventually cut. The last name, however, was spoken in the series finale when Malcolm is being introduced for his graduation speech, but it is not heard due to feedback from the microphone. A special feature on the season 1 DVD stated also that their surname was Wilkerson. A trailer on the UK channel Sky One in Early 2006 advised you to spend time with "The Simpsons" and "The Wilkersons." Another trailer was released to advertise the last episodes of 24 and Malcolm in the Middle, calling viewers to "say goodbye to the Wilkersons." In a certain episode, at Hal's company picnic Hal is addressed as "Mr. Landon" by his new boss; however, this was just due to a misunderstanding. On Bryan Cranston's official website, Cranston says the crew regularly joked amongst themselves that last name is actually "Nolastname." In fact, just before Malcolm gives his graduation speech, Francis drops his employee ID on the ground and it clearly shows his full name as "Francis Nolastname."

Characters

See also: List of characters in Malcolm in the Middle and List of guest stars on Malcolm in the Middle

The Family

  • Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is the titular character of the series. Malcolm is of above-average intelligence and, because of this, is placed in a class for gifted students (or Krelboynes as they are known at the school). His intelligence, as well as feelings of not fitting in because of it, are the primary causes of most problems he faces throughout the series. As the title suggests, Malcolm is the middle child of the family, third-born of four at the start of the series, later of five after the birth of Jamie and apparently six after the last episode. His best friend is Stevie, a wheelchair-bound fellow Krelboyne with a severe breathing problem. Malcolm is shown to be in Harvard in the last episode, earning his way by mopping the halls.
  • Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) is the hot-headed and stubborn mother of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie, and wife of Hal. She struggles throughout the series to keep her badly behaved boys in check while maintaining a job at the supermarket, Lucky Aide. She is seen by her sons as a somewhat tyrannical figure, a crazed control freak, but her behavior comes from her love for them and a desire to see them succeed.
  • Hal (Bryan Cranston) is the somewhat childish but caring father of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and husband to Lois. He is a lighter touch with the boys than Lois, but can still hand out discipline when necessary. Hal seems constantly on the edge of some kind of breakdown; when things get to be too much, he often goes into a howling, wailing state of panic and frustration.
  • Reese (Justin Berfield) is the most impulsive member of the family and has remarkably little common sense. He is the older brother of Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and younger brother to Francis. Throughout the series, he is shown to be a bully, getting much enjoyment from the misfortune of others and handing out beatings to students at school and to his younger brothers at home. Despite being remarkably unwilling to think, he is gifted at cooking and baking - which he is shown to be very talented at on many occasions - and a natural born soldier.
  • Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) is the younger brother of Malcolm, Reese, and Francis and older brother of Jamie. His role is usually that of the victim to his brothers. Dewey is very intelligent, even being able to fool and manipulate Malcolm in later episodes. However, his real talent lies in music. Among other accomplishments, he has composed his own opera for his classmates to perform. Despite his intelligence, he is placed in a remedial class for slower students (or Buseys) due to a misunderstanding. This does little to affect his performance, though, and he actually makes the best of the situation by acting as their self-appointed teacher. By the seventh and final season of the show, it seemed to be implied that he was no longer in the Busey class. He was the youngest for several seasons, until Jamie was born.
  • Francis (Christopher Masterson) is the eldest brother. Due to his extremely bad behavior, he is sent to a military school run by the strict Commandant Spangler. He is there when the series begins. Francis remains at the school until partway through the third season, when he has himself legally emancipated and travels to Alaska to work at a logging camp. Here he meets and marries Piama, a woman of Inuit heritage. When the camp closes, he later moves to a Wild West-themed hotel and ranch in the western U.S. called the Grotto, run by kindly but eccentric German Otto Mannkusser and his wife Gretchen.
  • Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) is the youngest brother until the very last episode. Despite his infancy, he is already shown to have some of his brothers' habits such as stealing, as well as rudeness to his mother (his first words are "shut up", directed at Lois).

Episodes

Main article: List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes
Season Ep # First Airdate Last Airdate
Season 1 16 January 9, 2000 May 21, 2000
Season 2 25 November 5, 2000 May 20, 2001
Season 3 22 November 11, 2001 May 12, 2002
Season 4 22 November 3, 2002 May 18, 2003
Season 5 22 November 2, 2003 May 23, 2004
Season 6 22 November 7, 2004 May 15, 2005
Season 7 22 September 30, 2005 May 14, 2006

Production

Opening titles

The opening titles feature short clips from cult films or television shows, edited together with clips from the early seasons of the TV series. The Opening Title has changed in the 2 episode - Season 1 (Red Dress)in the DVD Show and changes back to the original in the episode 3 - Season 1 (Home Alone 4). The Original Open Title includes, in order of appearance:

Act Breaks

The end of each act break is signified with the sound of a door slamming and then a cut to darkness; the same effect is sometimes used to mark the end of the episode as well. Scene changes are indicated with a quick "whoosh" sound and a fast panning motion of the camera.

Setting

The setting of the show has never been revealed, though their street address – 12334 Maple Blvd. Millbrook – was identified in episode 81 ("Reese's Party"). The house which is used for external shots is privately owned, and is situated in the Studio City district of Los Angeles, California, at 12334 Cantura Street[6], and it can be seen on Google Street View. [7] Filming also took place at 20th Century Fox Studio - 10201-Pico Boulevard in the Century City district of Los Angeles; at Walter Reed Middle School in Los Angeles and in Santa Clarita, California.[8] There are several instances where California license plates are visible, including the family vehicle in "(Traffic Jam)". In "Stock Car Races," when Hal and the boys are entering a race track, the billboard behind the entrance displays the place as Irwindale Speedway, a real race track in Southern California. In seasons six and seven, however, the license plates on the cars are from Oklahoma ("Hal's Christmas Gift" and "Malcolm Defends Reese"). The last episode in the first season ("Waterpark") was filmed at a waterpark called "Wild Rivers" located in Irvine, California, but in the episode the waterpark was called "Wavetown USA." Also in the episode "Waterpark," the slide they are at when Malcolm pushes Lois is called the Abyss (they enter the Abyss, yet they come out of a ride called the Bombay Blasters). The Liquidator is actually up the stairs behind them. In the episode "Monkey" when Reese gets an honor from the police, the hat he is seen wearing has the letters MPD on it, suggesting the name of the city begins with the letter "M" and in episode 107 Reese Joins the Army (2)Hal says that he is from the Millbrook bomb squad when he is trying to hide a backpack and his identity. The baseball and softball episodes were filmed in a city park in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles, California. During the first year of the show, Francis reveals that the military academy is in Alabama and is 300 miles from home.

Music

The show's theme song, "Boss of Me", was written and recorded by the alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. The song won the "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" award at the 2002 Grammy Awards.[1] The band also performed nearly all of the incidental music for the show in its first two seasons.

Mood setting music is sprinkled throughout the series, in replacement of the laugh track, in a way that resembles feature film more than other TV sitcoms. Some examples of this highly varied music include ABBA, Basement Jaxx, Sum 41, Kenny Rogers, Lords Of Acid, The Getaway People, En Vogue, Phil Collins, Quiet Riot, Queen, Titán and Citizen King whose song "Better Days" is played at the end of both the pilot episode and the series finale. The Southern California pop-punk band Lit have many of their songs featured in several episodes. Lit songs that were never released as singles were also used.

A soundtrack, Music from Malcolm in the Middle, was released on November 21, 2000.[9]

Main crew

  • Linwood Boomer - Creator, Executive Producer (seasons 1-6), Creative Consultant (season 7)
  • Todd Holland - Co-Executive Producer (season 1, subsequent episodes he directs)
  • David Richardson - Co-Executive Producer (season 1)
  • Alan J. Higgins - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-3), Consultant (season 7)
  • Michael Glouberman - Supervising Producer (season 1), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-7)
  • Andrew Orenstein - Supervising Producer (season 1), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-5)
  • Alex Reid - Creative Consultant (season 1), Producer (seasons 1 and 2), Supervising Producer (season 3), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 4-7), Executive Producer (season 7)
  • Don Voorhees - Associate Producer (seasons 1 and 2), Co-Producer (seasons 3-7)
  • Bob Stevens - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-3)
  • Gary Murphy - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 2-7)
  • Neil Thompson - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 2-5), Consulting Producer (seasons 6 and 7)
  • Michael Borkow - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 3 and 4)
  • Maggie Bandur - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3), Producer (season 4), Supervising Producer (season 5)
  • Pang-Ni Landrum - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3)
  • Dan Kopelman - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3), Producer (season 4), Supervising Producer (season 5)
  • Matthew Carlson - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 4-6), Executive Producer (season 7)
  • Rob Hanning - Co-Executive Producer (season 4)
  • Bob Kushell - Consulting Producer (season 4)
  • Janice Carr - Associate Producer (seasons 4 and 5), Co-Producer (seasons 6 and 7)
  • Rob Ulin - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 5-7)
  • Eric Kaplan - Supervising Producer (season 5), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 5-7)
  • Jennifer Celotta - Supervising Producer (season 6), Co-Executive Producer (season 6)
  • Jay Kogen - Consulting Producer (season 6), Co-Executive Producer (season 7)
  • David Sacks - Consulting Producer (season 6)
  • Steve Welch - Supervising Producer (season 7)

DVD Release

Only the first season of Malcolm in the Middle has been released on DVD. Season 2 was going to be released in Autumn 2003, but was cancelled due to high costs of music clearances.[10]

DVD Name Release date Ep # Additional information
The Complete First Season October 29, 2002 16 Extended pilot episode, A Stroke of Genius featurette, Commentary on select episodes, Gag reel, Deleted scenes, Alternate show openings, bloopers, Dewey's Day Job featurette.

Reception

Ratings

As a midseason replacement for Futurama, the show quickly gained a large viewer base, starting off with ratings of 23 million for the debut episode[11] and 26 million for the second episode.[12]

Fox shuffled the show's air time repeatedly to make room for other shows, eventually giving it a free pass[clarification needed] in its seventh and last season. After moving to Fridays at 8:30 p.m. next to The Bernie Mac Show, Malcolm in the Middle averaged fewer than 3.5 million viewers a week, making it Fox's lowest-rated show. On January 13, 2006, Fox announced that the show would be moving to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays effective January 29, 2006. On January 17, 2006, Fox announced the cancellation of the series, with the 151st and final episode airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT (the show's original timeslot) on May 14, 2006. The finale was watched by 7.4 million.

Season Premiere Final U.S. ratings
1 2000 January 9, 2000 May 21, 2000 20.0 million
2 2000-2001 November 5, 2000 May 20, 2001 18.0 million
3 2001-2002 November 11, 2001 May 12, 2002 15.0 million
4 2002-2003 November 3, 2002 May 18, 2003 9.1 million[13]
5 2003-2004 November 2, 2003 May 23, 2004 8.7 million[13]
6 2004-2005 November 7, 2004 May 15, 2005 5.8 million[14]
7 2005-2006 September 30, 2005 May 14, 2006 3.5 million[15]

In Australia, in 2002 Malcolm in the Middle premiered on Channel Nine, Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. It rated strongly, with the help from its lead in Friends, which at the time rated 2,279,000, 2,031,000 and 2,410,000 as the night's most watched show, and year's 2nd most watched TV program. Malcolm in the Middle's ratings included 1,952,000, 1,925,000, 1,712,000, 1,644,000, and sometimes rating over the 2 million mark: 2,002,000, 2,008,000.

In France, the show first aired daily at 8 p.m. in December 2001, on M6, but didn't find its public and was quickly off schedule. Then, when the show made its comeback in the summer of 2003 at noon, it had a big success. The last seasons had over 1.5 million viewers and a share sometimes over 30 %. Nowadays, the channel is still programming reruns of the show because of its good performances.

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Malcolm in the Middle

Jane Kaczmarek and Cloris Leachman gained the highest honors in the cast for being nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award every year they appeared on Malcolm in the Middle. Cloris Leachman succeeded in winning 2002 and 2006. The show won a total of 7 Emmys during its seven year run.[1]

Syndication

The show entered syndication one month before the 6th season premiere on Fox.It is also aired in local syndication. The show was launched on Nick at Nite on July 5, 2009 at 8:00pm with an all night marathon. However, Nick at Nite changed the TV-14 ratings to TV-PG removing adult content from episodes. Sky1(a UK channel) also has Malcolm in the Middle is on everyday at 5:30 - 6:00 and 6:30 - 7:00.

International broadcasts

Country TV network(s) Year/Date Series Title in Country
Argentina Argentina Fox, Canal 13, I-Sat 2000
Fiji Fiji Fiji tv 2000
Australia Australia Channel 9 (2002-2008)Network Ten (2009-), Comedy Channel 2002
Belgium Belgium 2BE (TV channel) 2006
Bhutan Bhutan STAR World 2005
Brazil Brazil Rede Record, SBT, Fox 2004
Bulgaria Bulgaria bTV, Fox Life, BTV Comedy 2001 Mалкълм
Canada Canada YTV, Global, Télé-Québec 2000 (Global), 2005 (YTV), 2006/2007 (Télé-Quebec) On Télé-Québec: Malcolm
Chile Chile Fox, Televisión Nacional de Chile, I-Sat 2000
Colombia Colombia RCN Televisión 2006
Costa Rica Costa Rica Repretel 11 2007
Croatia Croatia Nova TV, RTL Televizija 2002 Malcolm u sredini
Denmark Denmark TV 2 Zulu, TV3+ 2003 Malcolm i midten
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Telesistema Canal 11 2008
Ecuador Ecuador Teleamazonas 2004
Estonia Estonia TV3, TV6 2006
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands Sjónvarp Føroya 2008
Finland Finland MTV3 2005 Veljemme on nero
France France M6, Paris Première 2001 Malcolm
Greece Greece Macedonia TV 2008
Honduras Honduras Canal 5 de Televicentro 2008
Hong Kong Hong Kong TVB 2001
Hungary Hungary Comedy Central 2009 Már megint Malcolm
Iceland Iceland SkjárEinn 2006
India India STAR World 2005
Indonesia Indonesia STAR World 2005
Republic of Ireland Ireland Sky1, TV3, 3e 2002
Israel Israel Bip 2002 מלקולם באמצע
Italy Italy Italia 1 2004
Kenya Kenya NTV 2005
Lithuania Lithuania TV3 2008 Malkolmas Vidurinysis
Malaysia Malaysia ntv7, STAR World 2008
Mexico Mexico Televisa 2004 Malcolm el de enmedio
Nepal Nepal BBS-Bhutan Broadcasting Service 2005
Saudi Arabia Middle East MBC 4, Show Comedy, Paramount Comedy 2002
Netherlands Netherlands Veronica Network, Comedy Central 2003
New Zealand New Zealand c4 2008
Norway Norway TV2 2002 Malcolm i midten
Poland Poland Polsat 2006 Zwariowany Świat Malcolma
Portugal Portugal SIC Radical and Fox Portugal 2009 A Vida é Injusta
Serbia Serbia RTV BK Telecom 2001
Singapore Singapore MediaCorp TV Channel 5 2007
Slovenia Slovenia Kanal A 2005
South Africa South Africa M-Net 2005
Spain Spain Antena 3, Fox 2000
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka MTV Television 2008
Sweden Sweden TV6, TV3, TV4 2006 Malcolm, ett geni i familjen
Switzerland Switzerland SF zwei, TSR 2, 3+ 2000 Malcolm Mittendrin
Germany Germany ProSieben 2001
Austria Austria ORF1 2002
Thailand Thailand True Series, STAR World 2005
Turkey Turkey CNBC-e, TNT 2003
Uganda Uganda NTV 2008
Ukraine Ukraine Novyi Kanal 2004 Малкольм у центрі уваги
United Kingdom United Kingdom BBC Two, Sky 1, Sky 2 2000
United States United States Fox, FX, Nick at Nite 2000
Venezuela Venezuela Televen 2002
Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam Multimedia Corporation 2005

References

  1. ^ a b c "Awards list". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "IMDB Trivia". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  3. ^ "B Monster Bulletin". The Astounding B Monster Archive. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  4. ^ "Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community - FAQ: Malcolm in the Middle". Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  5. ^ "Out of the Unknown - Clips guide". Zeta Minor. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  6. ^ "The actual House location". Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Google Street View of the actual house". Google.com.
  8. ^ "Filming locations for Malcolm in the Middle". IMDB.
  9. ^ "Malcolm in the Middle SoundTrack". SoundTrackNet. 2001.
  10. ^ Lambert, David (2003-11-30). "Malcolm in the Middle - Season 2 (plus Other Shows) Hamstrung by Music Clearances". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  11. ^ Josef Adalian and Michael Schneider (2000-01-18). "Sitcom savior?". Variety.com. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  12. ^ Matt Webb Mitovich. "News".
  13. ^ a b "Malcolm : le point sur les audiences". Malcolm France. 2004-07-11.
  14. ^ "Bilan mitigé pour la saison 6 aux États-Unis". Malcolm France. 2005-05-19.
  15. ^ "Malcolm : les premières audiences de la saison 7". Malcolm France. 2005-11-08.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Malcolm in the Middle.
Preceded by
Survivor: Australian Outback
2001 		Malcolm in the Middle
Super Bowl lead-out program
2002 		Succeeded by
Alias
2003
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malcolm_in_the_Middle&oldid=333100751"